DIY Christmas Crayons – A Simple Gift Idea With Easy Instructions

DIY Christmas crayons are a super fun activity to do with kids and make a fabulous gift. Package then up for teachers and school friends or pay them out on the Christmas kids table as a fun activity during dinner. I even have a printable activity placemat option at the end of the post!

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Simple DIY Crayon Supplies

You don't need a lot to create your own DIY Christmas crayon shapes.

• Old or broken crayons, Crayola is recommended
• Small Christmas shaped molds Opt 1, Christmas shaped molds Opt 2
• Silicone mold release spray {optional but helpful}

To Use as Gifts

• Clear cello self-sealing gift bags: 3×5 recommended
• Printable Christmas Gift tags
• Baker's twine in preferred color

Sort & Peel Crayons

SORT COLORS

First, you'll want to collect your crayons. Sort through all the broken pieces in your house and save them for up-cycling. Check with your local elementary school and offer to sort through their crayons at the end of the year. They typically toss hundreds of broken crayons per classroom each summer.

LARGE GROUP

If you're doing a larger batch and can't wait to gather broken crayons, you can purchase “crayon” wax sticks made for crafting. The bonus is they come without labels!

REMOVE LABELS

But for those crayons that DO have labels, simply soak them a few minutes in warm water and most of the labels will float off on their own. Conversely, children seem to experience intense pleasure unwrapping their crayons 🙄, so if they'd like, let the kids unwrap til their hearts content! 😂

Slice Crayons

Once you've got your crayons sorted by color with labels removed, use a sharp knife to slice into small chunks. When using “crayon” wax sticks it's easy to line them up for slicing, broken pieces are little squirrelly but totally possible.

Once the first slicing is complete, you might want to go through and chop the pieces down a little more depending on the size and detail on your molds. The gingerbread men were harder to fill with wax pieces than the stars just because the pieces piled up and didn't get into the curved arm and leg shapes very well. Smaller wax pieces are much better in cases like that.

Wash your knife in very hot water to melt any remaining wax residue once finished.

DIY Crayon Christmas Molds

Over-fill molds with selected wax colors. They melt down and typically fill molds 2/3 of the way when finished. So pile your wax pieces in there!*

Your molds can be anything holiday related. Look for the festive ice cube trays during the season and stock up on inexpensive designs. Dollar Tree is a great place to look in early November {otherwise they sell out and you'll have to pay full price somewhere else!}. So set you calendar for next year, or purchase molds for other seasons and have fun with it all year long!

*This is optional, but I recommend spraying the molds with a Silicone mold release spray for easy removal, and reuse of the mold. Otherwise they get stained and it's nearly impossible to get the wax remnants out of the molds! I that learned the hard way. That's why I only recommend really affordable mold options, you'll only be able to use them for crayons or candles after the first batch.

But if you're only planning on a one-time activity with a few batches, then don't worry about buying the spray.

Bake Christmas Crayons

Preheat oven to 200° as you finish filling your molds. When ready, place the molds on a baking sheet, this makes sure you don't spill any melted wax in the oven, on the floor, or counter while moving in and out of the oven. TRUST ME. You definitely want to use a cookie sheet!

Place in the center rack and bake for 10-15 minutes until wax pieces are fully liquified.

Crayola Crayons Recommended

I mention Crayola are the preferred crayon to use for this project. Not because this is sponsored in any way, but because the higher quality crayons have higher quality wax and make better DIY Holiday crayons.

Look at the image above with the blue melted stars…….see the white edges on the left hand stars? That white wax separates from the off brand crayons and messes with your final product.

If the old crayon isn't great to begin with, it doesn't make a very nice new crayon. If in doubt, test them and see if they are super waxy. You know the kind, the crayon flakes on the paper instead of leaving a nice smooth line of color.

Yah, that kind, Think restaurant crayons. I don't recommend them. 😉

Un-mold DIY Christmas Crayons

After the wax is melted let the DIY crayons cool for 30-60 minutes. Once cool to the touch they'll pop right out of the molds. Especially if you've used the silicone mold release spray. But even if you didn't, silicone molds are notoriously easy to remove.

If you've having trouble removing your DIY Christmas crayons, let them cool for a while longer. Once fully cooled they should come out easily.

Gifting DIY Christmas Crayons

Once your crayons are finished it's time to draw and color! Print a few holiday themed coloring pages like this Free-4-Fun image from Oriental Trading.

If making crayons to use for Christmas gifting, package up a few in a clear cello gift bag, I like the ones that self seal. Then add a cute tag and tie with some baker's twine and watch the smiles. These are perfect gifts for classrooms, teachers, and youth groups. Not to mention great stocking stuffers!

So what do you think? Does this sound like a fun project for you and your family or class?

If you do make these DIY Christmas Crayons, I'd love to hear about it in the comments below. And if you share photos, I want to see it too! Please tag us @partieswithacause on Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram. We love celebrating all your hard work! 

I also have a fun printable addition! These activity placemats are the perfect piece to try out your new crayons on the kid table at Christmas dinner, a Gnome party, or just for fun! There are Holiday and Birthday themed options too in case you're planning a little gnome birthday party! Grab yours from the shop now: Gnome Printable Activity Placemats

Then join me, your Healthy Hostess for better-for-you holiday and party foods. Grab your free food substitution guide as the first step in your next healthy holiday gathering.

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